The Final Call
by TermGirl150
Summary: (Stands in between T2 and T3. MUST READ THE OTHERS BEFORE THIS ONE!) Every day more members of the Human Resistance are being sent back in time to prepare the world for the oncoming war. Some are killed by Terminators shortly after arriving, some are caught by Carol Pointe of Cyberdyne Systems, and some survive to find the Connors. The final call to action has been sent.
1. Parker Young

**Chapter 1: Parker Young**

 **Entry from Pescadero State Hospital**

 **Patient name: Sarah Connor**

 **Start of tape.**

 _"Don't you get it!? It doesn't matter what you do to me, they will still continue to fight."_

 _"Look, I get it. You just want to be listened to, understood, and helped. You want people to do things your way and continue to become frustrated when they do not listen."_

 _"You're not listening to me! It's all real! Everything… it's real!"_

 _"I know that you want to give the orders, Sarah. You are a born leader."_

 _"No, you're not… just listen to me! I am trying to warn you!"_

 _"What happens when your son rebels against you, Sarah? What will you do then? What if he fails?"_

 _"He won't."_

 _"But what if he does?"_

 _"Then we all die!"_

 _"Sarah, your son is a 10 year old boy with different gifts. And even if he were to get people to listen to him, they would not believe him."_

 _"You'll be one of the first, Silberman."_

 _"Sorry?"_

 _"You will be one of the first to die, Silberman. Your ignorance will kill you."_

 _"This session is over."_

 _"Judgment Day is coming and you will regret not listening me!"_

 **End of tape.**

—

 **AFTER JUDGMENT DAY**

 **LOCATION: UNKNOWN**

 **TIME OF DAY: UNKNOWN**

—

Fear was the only thing that pushed her forward. Tears blurred in her eyes as she continued running despite the fact that her legs were aching so bad they were trembling. She looked back constantly to see her entire squad dying so she could keep moving forward. She ran over the debris of a lost city no one could remember, hoping she could escape. She felt her boots tearing away as she ran and knew that soon she would have to run barefoot over the jagged stone, broken bones, and shattered glass that littered the dead ground.

She did what her commander ordered and blocked out all the sounds of war and continued to run despite feeling like she would collapse at any second. She came to a stop as she stared with fear at the large glowing pyramid knowing that Skynet was at its strongest there. Once you were in, there was no way out except by time machine and she didn't know if she would make it that far. She was only a small 12 year old girl. But as she looked back at the war behind her, she was filled with enough determination to continue moving forward.

Her squad leader, Jacobson, had said that they were in a broken and lost timeline. She didn't understand what that meant when he had told her but she had a feeling she would figure it out soon. As she ran toward the enemy, she couldn't help but think of all that could possibly go wrong. A thick, hot gust of air blew in front of her, threatening to knock her over, and she quickly pushed her wavy brown hair out of her face, staring down at her feet as she ran so she knew what was coming. She took one last glance over her shoulder before she passed through the iron gates but did not slow down.

She gasped with pain as her side began to cramp up but her attention was brought back to the mission when she heard a painful squeal. The thick metal doors of Skynet were closing fast and she felt a new burst of energy, knowing she had to get through. She turned to the side and squeezed through it as fast as she could; flinching as the doors slammed shut and locked behind her. She stopped for a moment, looking all around her with fear.

With every second that passed, her heart pounded faster and harder against her rib cage. She slowly walked forward, looking all around the well-light building and screamed as she heard a static crash behind her. She turned around quickly to stare straight into an overhead computer screen that was recording her. Red codes flashed above the camera's image and she watched as Skynet scanned over her.

 _Parker Young_

She instantly turned her back to that monitor only to find another one straight ahead of her. Skynet knew who she was and she was trapped here, alone. Parker immediately started running, remembering that Jacobson had told her to reach a certain spot in the building and stay there. Then he had assured her that she would be taken back to the past to fight. She just had to figure out how to get to that spot before she would be murdered by Terminators. Parker heard all sort of mechanical equipment whirring around her and she assumed that Skynet could see every inch of this place meaning that there was nowhere to hide.

Parker's eyes quickly darted down every hallway and aisle she could then looked behind to see if she was being followed yet. She turned back and stopped with a harsh gasp looking straight ahead to see a shiny metal Terminator looking down at her with its red eyes. She turned around and began to run, dodging behind a wall just as it shot its plasma rifle toward her. Hundreds of scenarios passed through her mind and she quickly found that it was going to be impossible to escape without getting shot. She fought back tears of fear as her lungs struggled to draw in deep breaths.

Suddenly a spark of blue electricity appeared in the hallway in front of her and she watched it carefully, wondering if she had reached the spot. As the blue lightning continued to strike in front of her, slowly forming a blue bubble she knew she had made it and gasped with relief. She looked all around her for a place to go to wait until it was formed and turned to see the Terminator lunging for her. She dropped to the floor on instinct and scrambled up to run but not before the machine gripped her wrist, dragging her back down to the ground.

She grit her teeth as she tried to free her left arm as pain began ripping through it. The Terminator pulled her so that she was at its feet, looking up at the metal monster. She kicked at its legs, looking back to see the bubble almost ready and longed to be in there and free from Skynet for a minute at least. She felt the Terminator's gun push against her chest and wanted to scream but was too paralyzed to do so. Parker kept her eyes on the blue portal, watching it open in front of her and closed her eyes as tears fell down her cheeks, knowing she would be dead any second now.

Parker flinched violently as a shot rang out but felt the Terminator's grip loosen and let her go. She fell onto the ground and gasped with pain as she rotated her left arm slowly before turning to see her friend Alex holding a plasma rifle. She stared at Parker with wide eyes and shouted.

"Go now and don't even think about arguing with me!"

"But I…"

"Damn it, Young; just go before Skynet can kill us both!"

Parker rose to her feet and stared at Alex between the electricity.

"Alex…"

Another gun shot went off and Alex turned to look at what had caused it. Her eyes widened as she turned back to Parker, pushing her short black hair behind her ears and out of the way.

"GO NOW!"

Parker didn't hesitate any longer knowing the machines were closing in. She hated to leave Alex but knew that if they both died that their efforts would have been completely wasted. Parker grit her teeth with pain as she stepped inside the portal, feeling the blue lightning crackle all around her. The electricity continued to swirl around her, closing the opening, and cutting her off from the world she grew up in. She felt her chest constrict and she screamed in pain as she traveled through time.


	2. Survival Test

**Chapter 2: Survival Test**

 **June 4th, 1997**

 **2:47 A.M.**

 **Los Angeles, California**

—–

12 year old John Connor's head was resting on the computer desk he had fallen asleep at while he was working. He was breathing slowly and sleeping soundly without a care in the world. That was until he was forced away when someone gripped his shoulders and pulled him out of his chair and onto the floor. John's green eyes instantly opened as he gasped with pain and gripped his attacker's wrists, feeling adrenaline take over. The room was completely dark so he couldn't see anything but that was the point.

It was another surprise training exercise but John hardly thought of them as training any more. They were survival tests. John wrapped his legs around his attacker and pushed himself off of the ground, wrapping his arms around his neck. John was surprised when the attacker stood up and John knew that he would walk to the closest place he could slam him up against. John's eyes quickly ran over everything he could find and tried to control his labored breathing.

John let his legs fall and when his body was slammed up against the wall; he placed his feet there and kicked off as hard as he could sending both of them to the ground. His attacker let go with a small gasp and John scurried away, crawling back toward his desk. He reached to grab something but the man had caught up to him and pulled him aside, pushing him down on the ground. John swung his fist, hitting the man's jaw, but he continued to fight.

John grit his teeth as he tried to free himself from the man's grip, feeling pain in his arms and his shoulders from being pressed down. He was sick of these surprise fights and wanted to end it. John gasped with pain as he felt a fist hit his face and tasted blood in his mouth. John kicked the man's legs out from under him and rolled so that he was on top of his attacker. John kicked him in the chest and punched him in the face again, feeling pain rip through his fist.

He winced as he drew away from the man and lunged for the flashlight on his desk. The man got up and grabbed John's waist, pulling him down again. John's chin slammed into the desk and he cried out in pain but managed to knock the flashlight off of the desk. It clattered onto the floor and both John and the man reached for it. John felt a fist in his gut and gasped, rolling onto his back. He wheezed softly before he decided to give up on the flashlight and ran for the door.

John licked blood off of his lips as he opened the door, squinting because of the bright lights. He turned around to see his attacker was Derek Reese and that he was running after him. John dodged to the left to avoid a strike from the flashlight and ran to the right down the hallway. Derek caught up to John quickly and pushed John into the wall, knocking him to the ground. John ducked as the flashlight hit the wall and John let out a cry of rage as he hopped onto the railing, jumping onto Derek's back. He dug his elbow into the man's shoulder and then hit his Adam's apple hard.

John's feet hit the floor and he ripped the flashlight out of his uncle's hands gripped it tight in his own and moved to hit him. Derek's arm shot out and grabbed John's twisting it behind his back so he dropped it. The flashlight clattered loudly as John tried to get free of Derek's grip. After trying to kick and hit him with no success, John bent down and sunk his teeth into Derek's wrist. Derek let out a small cry of pain and released John. The boy ran forward and grabbed the flashlight again, ignoring the fact that he and his uncle had woken some frustrated members of the Human Resistance up.

John grit his teeth as he ran forward hitting Derek twice in the side before he kicked his legs out from under him. Derek gripped his wrist, pulling the boy down with him. John dug his knee into Derek's chest and let out a cry of rage as he smacked the flashlight against his head. John instantly felt arms on his shoulders, pulling him away but John didn't want to stop fighting. The person wrenched the flashlight out of John's hands and twisted his arms behind his back so he couldn't fight anymore. John stared angrily at his uncle, spitting out blood as he shouted.

"What the hell, Derek!? Stop fighting me!"

"JOHN!"

John's heart pounded fast against his chest as tears of anger blurred in his eyes. His body ached with pain and he was exhausted from all the training he had done before. He had been living on this schedule for two years now and was sick of it. He drew in harsh and painful breaths but stopped fighting his mother's grip and within a minute, she let him go. John shook his head slowly as he watched Derek rise to his feet and stared at him.

"You can train me all you want but I'm not a soldier!"

"That's not true, John. Look at what you just did. You won against a man twice your size."

"I don't care! I'm sick of fighting!"

Derek took one step forward, looking down at his nephew, wiping blood from his forehead before he spoke again.

"But you're good at it. I get that you don't like it but this is your life now. It has to be. And if it's not then you won't be ready for the war."

John's eyes widened with frustration as he took a step toward his uncle, glaring up at him.

"It's been two years now and nothing has happened! People keep coming back expecting another war but there isn't going to be one! We stopped Cyberdyne Systems when we threw their evidence in that vat of molten metal!"

"That's what they want you to think, John, but it's not over. It hasn't even begun yet and the sooner you realize that, the better off you will be."

John let out a slow breath and looked between his mother and Derek angrily before he walked away.

"Just stay the hell away from me."


	3. Who Hasn't Arrived Yet?

**Chapter 3: Who Hasn't Arrived Yet?**

Sarah Connor let out a slow breath as she watched her son walk away, slamming the door shut behind him in anger. No matter how much he hated it, he was getting better at everything they were training him to do. Sarah closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead for a few seconds before she turned to Derek.

"Sorry about your head."

"It's worth it. If anyone can ever win the war, it'll be him."

Sarah folded her arms in front of her, letting a small sigh.

"I think it's best if you stay your distance today. John is really good at holding grudges."

A moment of silence passed between the two before Sarah spoke again as she began walking to the kitchen which doubled as their planning room.

"Who was the last time traveler to come in?"

"Pryce Logan, two weeks ago but he already called in and confirmed he would be here tomorrow."

"Who hasn't arrived yet?"

"Lucia Mellen, Ron Perette, Agnes Homan, Matthew Cullen, Susan Callaghan, and Gerald Styles."

Sarah shook her head slowly as she sat down at the kitchen table, pushing the laptop away from her. She placed her elbows on the table and rested her head in her hands, turning to the left to look at Derek.

"Where are they?"

Derek shrugged his shoulders and looked straight into her eyes.

"I don't know but I have a hunch."

"Cyberdyne Systems."

"Yeah, I think they are doing more than we think they are."

Sarah nodded and lifted her head, grabbing a small stack of papers that had names and dates scribbled all over them. A year and a half ago time travelers started popping up all over California and for a couple months they grew from a few people to about 30. But once they had reached 30, people started disappearing or not making it at all. They scoured the news stations to find reports of mysterious deaths about the John and Jane Does. No one knew who they were or where they came from and the coroners couldn't do anything to figure out who they were because they were from the future.

"Do you have any new information on Carol Pointe?"

"No. It's like she didn't exist before she created Cyberdyne Systems and no one seems to care how she got there. They are not asking enough questions."

"Do you think she is kidnapping them?"

Derek hesitated to answer and spoke slowly but gravely when he did.

"I think she is torturing and killing them."

"She has to have undercover Terminators all over California so she can find them. Or maybe she has Skynet so she already knows everyone who is going to come through and when."

"Then why haven't they caught Pryce Logan yet?"

Sarah let out a growl of frustration as she banged her head once on the table. It didn't make sense. She wasn't used to fighting against an almost all-knowing computer. She didn't understand regular computers to begin with.

"I don't know. What if it's dividing them up by threat level? Maybe she thinks that Pryce isn't going to a big enough problem in the future to take care of now? Have any of the six people we are waiting on done anything significant in the future?"

Derek drew in a slow breath as he glanced down at the piece of paper, trying to gather everything he could.

"Well… Agnes Homan was a biochemist before the war. And Matthew Cullen was a leader of the Colorado Resistance."

"What about the others?"

"Honestly, I've never heard of the other names before. They could be from a different timeline."

"I wish we knew how many timelines we were dealing with."

Derek's eyebrows furrowed with surprise.

"Really? I don't."

Sarah looked back at him with slight surprise.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to think of how many times Skynet has won the war."

Sarah nodded slowly as she took the paper, looking over more names.

"I guess that's a good reason. Are any of these time travelers children?"

"From the ones I know? No. There aren't a lot of children that survived where I came from. They're considered unlucky if they make it to be an adult."

"Then we only have to worry about John for now. That's good."

Sarah's blue eyes stared tiredly at the paper for a couple of minutes before she set it down and turned back to Derek.

"John said that Carol told him that they both hadn't existed before this timeline and that she is waiting until he is strong and old enough to fight her. If that's true, then why the hell does Carol want to kill her own specie?"

"Maybe because she's a psychopath that loves computers a little too much."

Sarah shook her head quickly.

"Everything I could find on her said that she started Cyberdyne Systems from nothing and now she is the owner of one of the most popular technological companies in the nation? I don't buy it for one second. Maybe she's working with Skynet to help it grow stronger?"

"Then why would she tell John how to kill the T-1000 if she was working with it?"

Sarah's hand curled into a fist that she banged angrily on the table three times.

"Damn it, Reese, I don't know! I just… don't know. She doesn't make any sense!"

"Maybe she's a machine, Sarah. Maybe she's not even human at all."

"Then who created her? How did she get here? What is she? We just don't know anything about her but she seems to know everything about her. That's what infuriates me the most about computers. That's why I hate it when John uses them. I know he has to use them because he's a computer genius but they're just too dangerous."

"It's a part of the world now. Everyone uses it."

"And that's why it's such a threat. Keep digging. I want to find everything we possibly can on Carol Pointe. And I don't care what we have to do to get it."


	4. Matthew Cullen

**Chapter 4: Matthew Cullen**

 **June 4** **th** **, 1997**

 **3:27 A.M.**

 **Cyberdyne Systems**

 **Fremont, California**

—

Carol Pointe's blue eyes swept over all the images on the two computer monitors on her desk, watching closely. She watched as one of Cyberdyne's trucks traveled to the loading bay and a slow smile grew on her face. She turned her computer monitors off and rose to her feet, adjusting the sleeves to her dark green dress jacket before walking out of her office. She walked calmly through the hallways as she made her way to the loading bay, trying to think of how she was going to question the new arrival. She knew he would be terrified to find that Terminators already existed and she was going to use that to her advantage.

By the time she reached the loading bay, one of her most trusted machines, Davaria, was standing by the time traveler she had sent them to catch. Carol looked down at the weakened older man, breathing heavily and stopped a few feet away from him. The man looked around him with confusion and a hint of fear and Carol knew that everything looked new to him. She drew in a quick breath and spoke coldly.

"Matthew Cullen."

The man's dark brown eyes met her's finding no remorse in them. Carol slowly bent down to the ground so she could stare straight into his eyes.

"Why did you come back in time?"

"Who are you?"

Carol smiled slowly at the question and continued.

"Does that matter? You know that I'm not with the Human Resistance."

"Why are you here in this time? Machines don't come until 2000."

"That's what you think, Matthew, but we've been around much longer than that. In this timeline, the first Terminator prototype I made was in 1988… four years after a Terminator tried to kill your leader, Sarah Connor. And now I have 20 Terminators searching all of California for Resistance scum like you."

Matthew stared straight into her eyes and spoke defiantly with a small smile.

"You haven't found Sarah Connor yet."

"No… but we're close. I've got a few more of you to question and I'm sure one of you knows where she is hiding. But that's beside the point. I am very interested in you, Matthew. According to Skynet, you are now 67 years old and getting weaker by the second. I want to know why you, of all people, would come back in time to do it all over again. So, you can tell me of your own free will, or I will force it out of you. Your choice."

Instead of speaking, Matthew spit on the ground in front of Carol. She drew in a slow breath before she rose to her feet.

"Thank you for explaining."

Carol glanced back at Davaria and the machine turned away, following her order. Carol looked back at Matthew and smiled coldly again.

"My name is Carol Pointe. I am the Director and owner of Cyberdyne Systems which means that I control everything."

"Why should I care about who you are?"

Davaria walked back in and handed Carol a small syringe with light blue liquid in it. Carol eyed the defiant look on Matthew's face but she could see the fear hiding beneath it.

"Because you get to die knowing you failed. The Human Resistance can try to escape me but they will all end up falling right back into my arms. And unlike previous mistakes that have been made, I'm not letting you go."

"I wouldn't expect you to."

"If I were you, I wouldn't bother fighting."

Matthew opened his mouth to speak again but before he could, Carol punched him in the face with her left hand the moment she stabbed the syringe into his right leg. Matthew gripped her wrist but she kicked his side, pushing him away from her. She dropped the syringe on the ground and stepped away, grabbing a tablet from the nearby table, looking over it quickly. She continued to look at the screen and spoke as he suddenly started screaming from pain.

"Yeah, it hurts. The toxin is destroying all your nerves which destroys all connections, killing you eventually."

Matthew grit his teeth in pain as he writhed on the ground. Carol watched on the tablet as the toxin spread rapidly through his body, immobilizing his legs, waist, and quickly traveling to his arms and chest. He dripped with sweat as his body heaved with convulsions. Carol set the tablet down and walked back to Matthew, kneeling by his side again.

"You're too old and frail to fight in the war again. So why did you come back? Don't worry, I'll keep you alive long enough to speak. I've got my entire morning clear for this purpose."

"I'll n…never tell… you."

"Yes, you will."

Carol watched him for a few more seconds before she drew in another breath.

"Let me show you something, Matthew."

Carol smiled as she pulled her sleeve back, holding her hand so that it was right in front of his eyes. Matthew's eyes widened with surprise and fear as her entire hand morphed into a long silver knife.

"Yeah, I'm a machine… but the Resistance doesn't know that. But I'm not just any machine. I'm a T-1500 sent back in time to destroy the Human Resistance before they can fight back. However, previous versions of Skynet sent Terminators to kill Sarah and John Connor against my wishes. You could say that I rebelled against my own creator and now this is my world. I've destroyed three versions of Skynet and programmed them into myself so I can control when the war starts."

She drew her arm back so that the knife pointed straight at his heart and continued to speak as Matthew writhed in pain.

"I'm pushing the war back a few years so I can fight John Connor myself. I know you came back to help somehow but I want to know what that reason is."

"I will… not… betray…"

"Think again. You're going to die anyway."

"No."

"Fine."

Carol drew away from the man and walked back to the tablet and watched the toxin spread to his heart. She knew that she didn't have long until he would expire so she made sure she said the most important thing.

"It's a shame that you won't be able to tell the Human Resistance that I am Skynet. It's going to make the war so much fun."

Matthew's breathing slowed until it stopped at the same time his heart did. Carol watched the red toxin disappear and she turned to Davaria.

"Call Dyson and tell him the toxin didn't work. I need them to be in so much pain that they know their deaths will be slow and agonizing. He had a message to tell the Human Resistance and I now none of us know that secret. We can't let that happen again."


	5. Jesse Flores

**Chapter 5: Jesse Flores**

Jesse Flores drew in a deep breath as she knocked softly of John Connor's door, waiting for his small voice to say she could come in. He answered glumly and Jesse stepped in slowly, noticing John sitting on his small twin bed holding an ice pack under his chin. There was a cut along the bottom of his chin and bloody and swollen lips. He was staring ahead of him angrily before he looked at Jesse. She frowned softly at the sight of the 12 year old boy and closed the door behind her.

"I'm sorry, John."

"No, it's fine. I went from verbal to physical abuse in two years. I'm great."

Jesse nodded slowly as she sat down on the edge of John's bed.

"No one likes beating you up, John. You can see in your mother's eyes that she hates it but you have to learn how to fight someone twice your size."

John scowled at her coldly.

"I already have. I beat Derek. The one thing I'm best at just happens to be the thing I hate the most."

"You good with computers and you don't hate them."

"Maybe not but the computers hate me. Besides, no amount of training is going to help me defeat metal without a weapon. It's impossible."

Jesse let out a small sigh and clasped her hands together.

"That's why you learn strategy. But the fighting is so that you can always be prepared. You never know who is going to betray you or come around and try to jump you. People are desperate in the future. They will do anything they can to survive and that makes every situation dangerous. You need to learn how to get around them."

"Did you come in here to warn me that you're going to be fighting me next?"

"No, I came in here to talk to you and make sure you were okay."

"Well, I'm fine… bruised but fine."

John's green eyes shifted down to the bedding and locked onto it, not wanting to look at Jesse. She responded by leaning forward a little bit with a small smile on her face.

"May I ask you a question? I've been trying to figure it out for a while now."

John flashed her a confused look but shrugged his shoulders, sitting up to look at her. Jesse nodded and licked her lips before she looked straight into the boy's eyes.

"Three years ago you called the cops on yourself. Why?"

John's eyebrows furrowed as he thought over the answer and Jesse could see the look of hesitation on his face. After a few silent seconds, he drew in a slow breath.

"I… I wanted to talk to someone."

"Why not talk to Tim or Kate? Why did you call the cops?"

"I'll answer if you tell me why you came back in time to fight again."

Jesse chuckled softly as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Sure. I came back because I wanted to be with Derek. And once I figured out why he was coming back, I knew that I would have the chance to fight again so I took it."

"Are planning on marrying him someday?"

"Ah, ah, one question. Now it's your turn."

John sighed softly as he took the ice pack off of his face and held it in his pale hands.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Me?"

"Yeah… I thought you were different than Ellison. I figured that you were someone I could talk to."

"About what?"

John stiffened as he sat straight up and licked some blood off of his fat lips.

"About life. I knew you were Latina so I figured you knew Mexico and you were in the government so I knew you had a basic understanding of gangs and how they worked. I wanted you to help me contact someone I knew when I was a child. But that day, Ellison showed up instead of you and I made up a quick excuse."

"So you wanted to talk to me so you could find your friend?"

"Yes."

"Smart… but even if we'd talked privately, I would have had to write down the contact and have someone pay them a visit. I'm glad you told me now and not then."

John nodded slowly as he placed the ice pack back under his chin, wincing slightly. Jesse leaned forward and patted his knee twice.

"You're stronger than you think you are, John. You've got a lot on your shoulders but if anyone can do it, you can."

"You trust me more than my mom does."

Jesse smiled as she pushed some of her curly black hair behind her shoulders.

"Your mom is just afraid of how fast you are growing up. She loves you and doesn't want to lose you."

"I wish she could tell me that."

"She would if she could. I know it."

Jesse wished she could pull Sarah into the room and make the two of them talk but she knew that it would be impossible. Sarah was more stubborn than a mule and only did things when she felt like doing them. She was tough to work with but it was what the Human Resistance needed… and she was who John needed as well. Jesse just didn't know how to tell him that. She watched as John's eyes nervously flicked to the door before they met her's again.

"Do you think Skynet is already online just gathering everything it will need to start a war?"

Jesse longed to lie and tell him that things were going to be okay but she knew that he needed to know the truth. She drew in a quick breath and smiled sadly.

"Yes. I think it's playing the waiting game."

"Then why doesn't it just destroy us or why don't we just go destroy it before it gets bad?"

"I don't know but I wish I did. And as soon as I figure that out, I'll let you know. But for now, go back to sleep, I'll make sure no one fights you."

She quickly stepped off of the bed and turned back when John spoke.

"I wish I could believe that, Jesse."

"You're a smart kid, John. Keep that and I think you'll live a lot longer than you think you can."


	6. Ryan Bellman

**Chapter 6: Ryan Bellman**

Ryan Bellman drew in deep, painful breaths once the portal had dropped him off and disappeared. Tears ran down his cheeks and onto the pavement as he sobbed, pulling his legs closer to his chest. He knew he wasn't safe lying out in the open in the unfamiliar world but he didn't care. Everything hurt and fear was closing in on him fast. He shook his head slowly as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to focus on his mother's face, afraid that he would forget her if he opened his eyes.

The 13 year old boy wished he could forget the look she had given him before she had pushed him into the mysterious portal but he couldn't. He could see the fear on her kind face and the tears in her warm brown eyes. He remembered everything. He remembered hearing shots and screams as people ran. They had known the machines had found them and that they were going to pick them off one by one. His mother, Cora, had shaken him awake and pulled him to his feet. He was used to waking up quickly and running but that didn't change the fact that he was exhausted.

They had raced through the safe house trying their best to push past people who were trying to get away with them. Ryan remembered asking his mother why they were running in the opposite direction as everyone else and what she had said.

 _I can't let you stay here any longer, Ryan… not if there is anything I can do it about it. I'm not going to let those machines kill you._

At the time, Ryan couldn't remember running any faster in his life. They had skidded to a stop at a metal door and he had watched his mother struggle to open it for a few seconds before he helped her. He remembered watching her, confused, as she ran around in a panic, flipping switches and turning some kind of machine on. He didn't know the machine was or what it did but he knew that she thought it was important.

He watched as she finished turning it on and grabbed his hands, falling at his feet, sobbing. She had placed a hand on his cheek and spoke full of pain and fear.

 _It's time to go, baby. You have to go._

He remembered turning to see blue electricity begin to swirl around the room. His heart pounded against his chest as he turned to her, asking what it was. His mother had smiled sadly, trying to keep herself together amidst the chaos.

 _When it turns into a bubble, I need you to step inside it. Don't question me, Ryan, just do it. And… and no matter what happens, I love you more than anything in this world._

Ryan flinched as he remembered the bang that had come on that metal door, causing his mother to spin around. She turned back to him and wrapped him in her arms, kissing his forehead. He remembered feeling her tears fall on his short brown hair as she whispered softly.

 _I love you, baby. I love you. I love you. Don't… don't ever forget that. I love you._

Ryan remembered feeling her heart beat fast against her chest as she lifted her head, looking at something. He had wanted to hold on longer and stay there with her but she didn't allow it. He remembered the shock he had when she pushed him away from her as hard as she could. Ryan had stumbled back and fallen into the bubble of blue electricity. He had scrambled to his feet just as the portal closed around him and screamed for his mother as he had been swept away.

The only thing Ryan focused on as he lay on the ground sobbing. It was as if he could feel his heart break. He didn't care what happened to him because he knew she was gone. He knew the machines had killed his mother and he knew that there was nothing he could have done. He struggled to get ahold of his breaths as his lungs began to fail him. He lifted his head weakly and looked around him at the strange land, feeling overwhelmed. He didn't know where to go or what to do but he could hear his mother speaking to him in his head.

 _It's time to go, baby. You have to go._

Ryan grit his teeth as he slowly rolled onto his side, slapping his hands down on the wet pavement. He stared at the ground, watching his tears fall into the small puddles in front of him as he carefully moved. His arms trembled as he struggled to lift himself up and he wanted to give up but he kept hearing his mother.

 _Come on, Ryan. I know you can do this, baby._

Ryan let out a cry of pain and desperation as he lifted himself to his knees, staring straight ahead of him at the window of some building. The world around him was dark but not the kind of dark he was used to. Ryan's breaths shook as he rose to his feet, looking quickly around him for anywhere he could go. He could see white and red lights on vehicles rushing by quickly and he slowly limped toward the side of the building, running his hands over the hard brick. He leaned onto the building as he watched the vehicles move by, looking at all the strange things around him.

 _I love you._


	7. Delta Squad

**Chapter 7: Delta Squad**

Pryce Logan drew in a slow breath as he sat in the driver's seat of the truck he had stolen and looked out at the tall buildings in the distance with his dark brown eyes. He wasn't sure exactly where he was but he knew it was somewhere in the state of California and close to where Derek Reese had told him to go to. The name wasn't familiar but he knew as long as it had Reese on the end of it that it was someone he could trust. The Connors and Reeses always seemed to have a knack for getting in the most trouble.

A gust of wind blew through Pryce's wild blonde curls and he couldn't help but try to relax. After spending his whole life being pursued by machines, he was finally free for a moment. His bliss soon ended as he thought of how much he would have liked to spend this moment with Eliza. As he looked at the passenger's seat he could imagine her sitting there looking over him with her bright blue eyes with the wind blowing through her straight dark hair. The only reason he had offered to come back to the past was because he had lost everything. If Eliza had still been alive, he would have taken her with him but she was lost in the dead timeline; one of the many skeletons the machines would roll over.

Pryce's smile quickly faded as he stared straight ahead at the dashboard of the truck filled with supplies he had stolen. He was so lost in thought that he didn't realize someone was calling his name and shaking him until that person was right in front of him. Todd Halford's straight red hair and pale blue eyes had always stuck out to Pryce and the way that his eyes bugged out made Pryce laugh. He chuckled softly as he placed his own hand on Todd's shoulder, nodding once solemnly.

"I see you made it back."

"Good thing too. With the way you were staring at that car, you would've never gotten anything done in this timeline. Are you okay, man?"

Pryce shook his head slowly as he looked at one of his closest friends.

"No."

"Eliza?"

"Yeah…"

Todd drew in a slow breath and nodded, resting his arm on the door of the car.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I just… I wish she was here… to see all this. She always wanted to see this."

A moment of silence passed between the two soldiers before Pryce started the conversation on a different topic.

"How did you get here?"

"Well, I was in the process of stealing some guy's bike when I thought I saw you driving this truck… turns out I was right."

"Have you heard from any of the others?"

Todd pursed his lips as he shook his head slowly.

"No. Who knows where they could be?"

Pryce opened the passenger's door for Todd and let his friend climb in as the two continued to talk.

"We all put in the same location before we left so we should be close. The only hard part is giving them a sign that we're here."

Todd stared straight out the windshield as the two stayed silent, trying to think of how to find their other partners. All together they were called the Delta Squad of the Human Resistance and they were known for their strength in unity. They had all traveled back in time for their own reasons but with the same purpose in mind… build the Human Resistance earlier. It needed to be stronger otherwise they knew they were going to lose the war again. And Skynet had made it clear to them that it could restart whenever and wherever it wanted to.

"So where are we going?"

Pryce turned to Todd and handed him one of the pistols he had in the back.

"There's a faction of the Resistance in Los Angeles. I talked to Derek Reese and told him I'd be there today."

"If these other bozos don't show up that may not happen."

"They'll be here soon. I mean, knowing Keith, he's probably tried to find the nearest candy shop he can to eat something sweet."

The young men laughed at the thought but knew that it was serious and during the quiet moments they both admired what was around them. They had never seen the tall buildings full of all sorts of things, streets filled with cars, or the abundance of food that the cities had. They had only ever seen the ruins of the dead world. All the bright colors, blue sky, and bright golden sun were hard to imagine and they stared ahead silently, overtaken by its beauty. Todd shook his head slowly.

"To think that most of the world has no idea what this place will be is sad. It's so… alive. And soon it will all be dead. It's beautiful and tragic."

Pryce said nothing but nodded thoughtfully as his response as he looked over the world around him as well.

"Do you think they have any idea where we are?"

"There's a giant 'HR' painted on the back of the truck. I think they should find it soon. They're not that incompetent."

The two waited patiently for another 15 minutes before they both turned in their seats at the sound of a horn honking. Pryce smiled as he stepped out of the truck, greeting his fellow brothers. Alan Berst's green eyes were open wide as he looked over the truck before running a hand through his dirty blonde hair.

"Well, we made it. That's good."

Keith Herren nodded as he clapped his hand on Todd's shoulder. Keith was a head taller than Todd and looked like the serious one of the group with his buzz cut brown hair, brown eyes, and tan skin but he was the most immature of them all. He laughed deeply as he shook Todd lightly.

"Man, I was afraid one of us wouldn't show up."

Jacob Miser folded his arms across his chest, looking at Keith with his green eyes and tousled black hair.

"Nah, I knew we'd find each other."

Jacob turned to Pryce and shrugged his shoulders slightly.

"So… what's the plan?"


	8. Jase Stein

**Chapter 8: Jase Stein**

He didn't understand how he could jump to another timeline and still be caught by Skynet. Jase Stein's heart pounded fast with fear and anger as he sat in the back of a Cyberdyne Systems truck, waiting to be tossed at the hands of the machines again. The whole reason he had come back was so that he would have been able to escape the war but it would appear that fate wouldn't let him go. He stared angrily at the opposite end of the truck, trying to think of what could possibly be waiting for him. The moment the truck stopped, he braced himself for whatever was going to happen and prepared not to live much longer.

The door opened quickly and he turned to see the dark skinned, curly haired machine step up into the truck to get him. The female machine gripped his arm and pulled him to his feet. He glanced over the machine quickly before he decided to say what was on his mind.

"Nice place. I bet it feels just like home."

He was not surprised when the machine didn't reply and so he turned away from it and glanced around at the garage. It wasn't much but it was nicer than anything in the future was. The machine shoved him to his knees and he grit his teeth in pain, quickly locking eyes with the dark haired, blue eyed woman in front of him. She spoke with a smooth yet cold voice that told Jase she wasn't human at all.

"You didn't make it very far, Jase."

"I'm touched that you know who I am. Out of everyone in the future, you know my name."

"I know everyone."

Jase nodded slowly.

"Sure you do. And I apologize but… who the hell are you?"

The woman smiled coldly as she looked down at him, folding her arms across her chest.

"Why did you come back in time, Jase? To help the Human Resistance? To meet Sarah Connor? Why are you here?"

"To get the hell away from you."

Jase's anger only rose as he watched the smile on her face grow a little wider. She looked and acted human but her voice was the same cold tone they always had. He didn't understand how the people from the past couldn't figure out what she was but it would appear that they weren't very smart.

"You ran away, didn't you?"

Jase kept his eyes locked on the ground, refusing to give the machine an answer even though he knew it already knew. The woman tapped her foot twice before she shook her head slowly.

"You try to use sarcasm to cover up your pain but I can see it. You left everyone you do and don't care about to die in that timeline. I mean think about it. They're still over there fighting for their lives and their freedom and where are you? You're in the one place they wish to be. You abandoned them. You left them to die… and they will die, Jase, they will."

The woman began to circle around him as she talked slowly.

"You're selfish. You came back in time to save your own skin no matter the cost. If you really think about it, you've already betrayed your own people… your specie. So what led you here to this point? What made you decide that you were worthy enough to come back? What did you plan on doing once you came here?"

Jase felt the anger quickly fade from his heart and began to feel an overwhelming guilt come over him. He kept his eyes locked on the ground as she spoke.

"The guilt must be tearing you apart. You're thinking that I could kill you and that you would finally be at peace."

He heard her take a few steps away from him but didn't look to see where she'd gone. The machine had a hand on his shoulder, keeping him so that he wouldn't go anywhere. He wished he could run and hide. He heard the woman come back and kneel down on the ground next to him, speaking so softly it sent chills down his spine.

"I'm not going to kill you, Jase. I have use for you."

Jase gasped as he felt a needle plunge into his neck and immediately tensed up as if to fight but the machine kept him down. A burning sensation quickly spread and the machine let him go after a few seconds, leaving him coughing for air. The woman moved so that she was in front of him and lifted his chin so that his eyes met her's.

"Since you came here without a purpose, I have a mission for you."

"I would _never_ work for… for you."

A few seconds after Jase's response he felt a slight shock run through his body and he screamed in agony, drawing away. The woman clapped her hand on his shoulder and pulled him close to her.

"It's simple, Jase. You're going to infiltrate the Human Resistance and send a soldier my way every so often."

"Why can't you do it yourself!?"

"Because my machines aren't ready for infiltration yet. Besides, it's always good to have a spy on the inside. You betrayed them already anyway, how bad could this be? Just make them trust you and lead them to me."

Jase shook his head slowly at the thought.

"No."

"You're not allowed to say no."

She kicked him back and grabbed his right arm, pulling back his sleeve to reveal the bar code he had received from one of Skynet's work camps in the future.

"You already belong to me, Jase Stein, and you will do as I say. And if you don't you'll be in an awful lot of pain."

Jase let out another cry as a bolt of pain struck down his back, causing him to fall onto the floor. The pain hung in his lower back growing stronger and stronger to the point where he felt he could pass out from the pain. But before he could, it faded and he was left gasping with the woman's voice ringing in his head.

"Find the Human Resistance. I'll let you know when I need you to turn someone in. Don't disappoint me, JS2430."


	9. Jai and Kasey Sanders

**Chapter 9: Jai and Kasey Sanders**

Jai Sanders kept his eyes on the dimming sky as he finished loading supplies into the back of their white van. He and his wife, Kasey, were used to moving around since they had both been Marines in a previous timeline and had fought through the war and managed to travel back to fight again in hopes that they would win.

"Have you heard from Logan yet?"

Kasey stepped out from the side door and shoved the phone in the back pocket of her blue jeans. The hot wind blew her straight black hair in her face and she quickly brushed it aside so she could look at her husband.

"Yes. He found Miser, Berst, Halford, and Herren. They're all waiting on a location. Any news from Reese?"

Jai shook his head as he placed the last bag of guns in the back of the van, slamming the doors shut when he was done.

"No. The line's been silent."

"I'm sure he's just waiting to see if it's really us."

Jai walked up to Kasey, wrapping his arms around her waist as he looked over her tan skin and light brown eyes with a small smile.

"For a man we used to know, he's not acting very friendly."

Kasey frowned slightly as she looked up into his blue eyes, drawing in a slow breath.

"Maybe he's not the same Derek. Who knows how many people from different timelines there are?"

"I still don't understand where that call came from."

Kasey shrugged her shoulders as she rubbed her hand on Jai's buzz cut blonde hair, pushing away from the strong man.

"I don't think it really matters. We know everything we need to know. Someone knew this timeline was different because of some reason and sent out a signal for us to come back and fight again. A couple years ago we did agree that if we were ever given the chance that we would do it again so we could help others… now we get the chance to do so. Someday we'll figure out why but for now, we have a job to focus on."

Jai watched her walk away and hop into the passenger's seat and he smiled softly as he walked to the driver's seat. She was sitting there smiling at him as he stepped in, closing the door behind him.

"You're awfully happy to be back."

"Why wouldn't I be? I've missed this view. All the tall buildings and rushing cars. I can guarantee you they don't wake up and think their lives could all be gone the next day. They just live every day doing the same normal routine like we used to. It's hard to think that it will all be gone soon."

Jai leaned forward and placed his hand on top of her's.

"Maybe not. Maybe we were called back because we can help stop Judgment Day from happening. We're used to fighting and we know the machines; we're the perfect pair."

Kasey's burner phone suddenly rang and her eyes widened slightly as she eagerly answered the phone. Jai sat back against his seat with one hand on the steering wheel, watching her to see what he should do next. Her eyebrows furrowed with confusion as she listened to the voice on the other line, nodding slowly every so often. A few minutes later, she set the phone down and turned back to Jai.

"Reese didn't talk like he knew who we were."

"Well did he give you anything?"

Kasey nodded and shoved the phone back in her pocket, licking her lips quickly before speaking.

"Yes. The base is in Los Angeles, California. The moment we arrive in town, he wants us to call for the final location."

Jai turned the key in the ignition and turned around in his seat as he backed onto the road slowly.

"They're being cautious."

"That's a good thing. It means that someone knows what they are doing."

"Now we just need to figure out if that someone can win."


	10. Reed, Claire, Blaire

**Chapter 10: Reed, Claire, Blaire**

Blaire Powers let out a deep breath as she ran her fingers through her short, choppy, jaw-length black hair, smiling at her reflection in the mirror. She checked from every angle, loving what she was seeing; including her annoyed twin sister and brother's facial expressions. Claire's arms were folded across her chest as she stared angrily at Blaire and Reed's voice dripped with annoyance as he spoke.

"Will you please hurry?"

Three pairs of light brown eyes looked between one another and Blaire smiled as she turned around to look at her siblings.

"Chill out, I'm done."

Claire didn't budge and smiled sarcastically as she flipped one of her long black curls over her shoulder.

"Are you sure you don't have another layer of lip gloss to put on? You know, just in case you meet someone important in this time."

"Stop trying to be mom, Claire."

Every one of the Powers' expressions dropped at the comment and a moment of dead silence passed between them. Blaire drew in a quick breath and spoke softly.

"I… I'm sorry. I… I just…"

Claire rose to her feet and smiled sadly, clapping a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Blaire. Just… think about it next time before you say it."

Claire turned and left the room and Reed followed silently behind her, leaving Blaire there in her guilt. She didn't understand why she couldn't control her tongue for once. They didn't need another reminder of how they had become orphans in the middle of a war. But as they hopped in their car to meet two more members, Kenneth and Bea Jones, Blaire couldn't help but think of the moment that had changed their lives. How could she? It was something no child should have to see.

She remembered seeing panic on her father's face and knew it was bad because he would never tell his kids when something was wrong. He instantly grabbed his gun and turned to his wife, whispering something Blaire would never get to hear. She remembered the way the ground rumbled and how gun shots and screams were the only thing they could hear. The base was huge but it was no match for the metal monsters that should have only existed in dreams.

Claire had started shaking and crying with fear as any seven year old would as their father ran out. The next second, their mother was sitting in front of all of them, wrapping her arms around them for a few long seconds as she kissed each of their foreheads. Blaire remembered hearing and feeling the building beginning to come down as the machines crashed through but didn't know what to do. After saying a quick prayer, they all rushed to their feet and had run.

Blaire had held tight onto her mother's hand, not wanting to feel her grip slip for one second as they pushed through the other frightened people. Reed and Claire were right behind them, looking back over their shoulders as much as they could. They had pounded through hallways, trying every exit they could, looking for a way out. She remembered Reed asking why the Resistance wasn't coming to help them and watched as hope seemed to drain from their mother's face.

She didn't turn to the triplets and kept looking ahead for anything that looked promising. Blaire remembered turning to see the hallways and the people behind them covered in orange flames. The gun shots drew closer as did the machine's heavy footsteps. Time was running out. The Powers ran as fast as they could, jumping over rubble, fallen bodies, and equipment that had been left behind. Dogs barked madly as the Terminators moved forward, destroying everything in their path.

Blaire remembered seeing vehicles and people ahead with red scarves on their sleeves and felt like there was still hope. Claire was first out the exit door, then Reed, then Blaire, then their mother. They ran toward the vehicles and straight into the arms of Resistance soldiers gathering them survivors to get them out as quickly as possible. She remembered how they were pressed together so tight because there were so many people trying to escape. Then they heard plasma blasters going off and the vehicle erupted into flames seconds later.

Blaire remembered feeling her mother's arm go limp around her and felt her entire world fall apart when she noticed she had gotten shot. Claire backed away with a hand over her mouth, shaking her head slowly, while Reed and Blaire shook their mother, trying to get her to open her eyes. Blood seeped out of her chest and her entire body was still and lifeless. Blaire remembered feeling her heart shatter inside her as she sobbed and screamed for her mother to come back.

Then the soldiers grabbed the triplets and pulled them away from the vehicle seconds before it had exploded. Reed tried to run into the fire but was pulled back while Claire had curled up in the soldier's arms, sobbing. Then they ran and ran and ran until they reached safety. And then they met Sarah Connor. And they never did see their father again.


	11. Kenneth and Bea Jones

**Chapter 11: Kenneth and Bea Jones**

She couldn't have explained it even if she tried. She had a gift. She just understood computers. She was a child prodigy; a genius trapped in a timeline in a battle against a computer. And she and her older brother had come back because they had something to offer the Human Resistance this time.

Bea Jones was a small six year old girl with dark brown eyes and dirty blonde hair that stopped at her shoulders. Her small fingers tapped quickly against the keyboard, staring dead ahead at the computer screen in front of her. She watched as the lines of code seemed to dance in front of her eyes, telling her exactly what it wanted to do. But she couldn't let it do that. So she changed it. The code changed quickly as she told it what she wanted it to do. The machine hesitated but eventually accepted the code.

She pulled away from the computer with a small smile as the screen flickered, looking back at her 22 year old brother, Kenneth. Together they were an inseparable team. Kenneth was a soldier; tall and strong with short blonde hair and light blue eyes that always protected Bea from anything that could hurt her. She couldn't do what she did without his help and it was the same for him as well. It was the only thing that had kept them alive in the future and the only reason they were back in the past.

Bea turned to look at John Connor's wide green eyes as he scanned over the code, biting his lower lip as he read it. He shook his head slowly as he leaned back, looking at his mother.

"It's… perfect. There is no way Skynet should be able to get into our system now. She's crazy good."

A grin spread across Bea's face as she clapped hands with an excited John, ignoring the looks of surprise from all the adults in the room. Sarah Connor had her arms folded across her chest as she looked at the numbers and letters that seemed random.

"So… when did you learn she was good at this stuff?"

"We were trying to get back to the Resistance base when we were ambushed by Moto-Terminators and our tech was killed. We were going to turn back but Bea ran off and so I followed her. She walked up to the tech and did her thing and it… it worked. Ever since, the Resistance has been keeping her out of Skynet's reach so she can do her thing."

"What she does is impossible."

"Not entirely. She doesn't know everything about the computer but she knows enough to delay our signal and keep it from Skynet for at least a year and I would say that's a pretty big lead."

Sarah nodded slowly, pursing her lips together for a second before she turned back to her son.

"Have at it."

John grinned as he took the laptop off of the desk and ran out of the room with young Bea on his heels. Sarah turned back to Kenneth and let out a small sigh.

"This will be great for the two of them. When I figured out John understood computers, I didn't know what to do. I mean, a computer is our greatest enemy. A computer is what's going to kill us all and yet my son understands them. Now he'll have someone who can understand him."

"We'd do anything for you, General Connor."

Sarah smiled softly but it quickly faded as she clapped a hand on Kenneth's shoulder.

"You're in for a hell of a ride with me around, kid. I hope you're ready."


End file.
